Denver Schools: Guide for Parents Relocating to Denver Colorado
Considering a relocation to the Denver area? The Denver school system’s optimized to accommodate your family’s needs. Learn more about Denver public schools.
The public school system offers the School Choice Program, which affords families the opportunity to live in any Denver community and still be able to attend their preferred school. Denver offers admission to many award-winning schools with specialized programs to suit the goals of your child, including magnet schools and gifted and talented programs.
Additionally, there are numerous private schools to choose from for families who are interested in a more tailored educational curriculum.
Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools was recently awarded a $25 million government grant to support the 162 schools that serve over 81,400 students. The state of Colorado allows any child residing in the state to attend any public school of their choice, as long as the school has the capacity to accept additional students. Students are within their assigned district have automatic acceptance to their home school and nearly always are accepted to boundary schools if requested. Through the School Choice Program, parents are able to select up to five schools of their preference.
Using the School Performance Framework guide offered by Denver Public Schools, parents can compare Denver k-12 schools for their children based upon performance rankings and specialized programs. After all of the School Choice applications are processed, admission is granted based on the selected school rank order as long as the requested school is not at capacity. Once the school reaches capacity, consideration for admission is through a lottery. Through the School Choice Program, families may consider relocating to any of Denver’s Real Estate Markets and still be able to attend a school of their choice.
Denver Schools: Types of Governance:
Traditional – District government determines the standards of curriculum for traditional schools. The majority of students in attendance are those that live within the predefined district attendance map, which guarantees admission to the school.
Innovation – These schools are specially designed to create practices that that encourage the improvement of student outcomes. As such, innovation schools have added flexibility in the curriculum to allow for special programs to be initiated by school governance.
Magnet – Magnet schools are either entire schools that are geared towards a special area of academic interest or centers within existing schools that focus on specific curriculum. These schools are managed by Denver Public Schools and attendance requires special admission through an application process.
Charter – Charter schools operate outside of the Denver Public Schools system. These schools have applied for special permission from the state to govern their school through an independent Board of Directors. As a result, charter schools are free to design their own educational programs that fall in line with the educational philosophy of the school.
Denver Public Schools: Additional Programs
- Full-day Kindergarten
- Advanced Kindergarten
- English Language Acquisition
- Gifted and Talented
- Highly Gifted and Talented
- Dual-Language Schools
- Arts/Science/International/American Indian Focus Schools
- Expeditionary Learning
- International Baccalaureate Program
- Advanced Placement
- Concurrent Enrollment
Denver Private Schools
Denver offers a vast selection of private school choices. The possibilities are unlimited when it comes to selecting a private school for the family. Denver has over 300 registered private schools. Some private schools are affiliated with local religious organizations, while others remain secular and may have a special focus on a particular academic focus or simply be separated by gender. Many of the private schools in Denver offer rigorous academics with a focus on college preparation courses. Additionally, Denver is home to several boarding schools for families who are interested in an all-inclusive learning environment.
If your family is considering relocating to Denver, Colorado contact Brian MacMillan to discuss real estate opportunities in the area. Brian is a Denver Real Estate Agent that has years of experience helping families find their dream home.